ORGANIZATION OF THE FARM 



present complex commercial system of agricul- 

 tural production; but, in spite of this objection, 

 the commercial system is superior to the old self- 

 sufficing economy which was only desirable in an 

 earlier stage of economic society when the dan- 

 gers to commerce were so very great and the 

 means of transportation had been so little devel- 

 oped that the farmers could gain little or nothing 

 by producing for the market. Modern agricul- 

 ture is not entirely commercial, yet the produc- 

 tion for the market is the dominant feature. The 

 commercial system has replaced the self-sufficing 

 system, because it brings larger returns for the 

 efforts expended, and our aim should be not to 

 revert to a less economical system in order to 

 avoid the evils which have arisen, but to remove 

 the evils which accompany it and thus perfect the 

 present commercial system. 



When the farmer follows the rule of seeking 

 the largest net profits, he will not be bound to any 

 one system, he will produce for home consump- 

 tion just to the extent that he can produce more 

 cheaply than to buy upon the market. That 

 which is good practise in this regard at one time 

 and place may be bad economy at the same time 

 at another place, and at the same place at another 

 time. 



A review of the development of commercial 

 agriculture in this country will help us to under- 



47 



